Match Your Resume to a Job Description

Start from what the job actually asks for

Job descriptions mix several kinds of statement. Some are requirements the employer will not move on. Some are preferences. Some are descriptions of the team or the company that ask nothing of you. A good match separates them, because treating "nice to have" as "must have" is how people talk themselves out of jobs they could do.

JobSealer reads the posting, pulls out the skills, tools and responsibilities it can identify, estimates the seniority the role implies, and keeps each requirement as a separate line so your resume can be checked against each one. It can miss requirements in long or unusual sentences, so compare its list with the posting.

Why evidence matters more than keyword counts

Counting how many words from the posting appear in a resume rewards repeating words. It cannot tell the difference between "managed a PostgreSQL migration for 40 services" and a skills list that says "PostgreSQL". A person reading the resume can tell the difference.

For each requirement the match looks for support in your resume. A skill or tool named in your skills section counts as an explicit match. A requirement written as a duty, such as "writing SQL queries against relational databases", is matched against what your experience descriptions say you did. That is why adding real detail you already had can move a duty-style requirement from a gap to a partial or strong match.

A worked example

Suppose a posting asks for "SQL", "writing SQL queries against relational databases" and "experience with A/B testing". Your resume lists SQL in its skills section, and your experience says only "worked on reports for the team".

• SQL: a listed skill counts as an explicit match.
• "Writing SQL queries against relational databases": a duty. With nothing in your experience about it, it is likely to show as a gap even though you may have done the work. Only you know; if you did, add one bullet about it.
• A/B testing: if the check lists it as a gap, or does not list it at all, the question is the same: have you run experiments and left them out, or not? Only the first case is something to edit.

What to do with the result

1. Close the cheap gaps first. Partial matches usually mean the experience exists and the writing is thin.
2. Leave real gaps alone. Do not add a skill you cannot discuss. An interview will find it.
3. Tailor, do not rewrite. Reorder and reword true experience so the relevant parts come first. See the tailoring guide for the method.
4. Re-run it. Run the match again after your edits to see whether the changes did what you meant.

Limits of a match

A score describes how your resume text lines up with the text of one job description. It is not a prediction of what any employer’s system will do, and it does not guarantee an interview.

A match can only read what is written. If a posting is vague, or your resume leaves out real experience, the result reflects that.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good match score?

There is no universal threshold. Use the groups (strong, partial, gap) and the central requirements of the job rather than a single number.

Should I apply if I have several gaps?

That depends on whether the gaps are on the central requirements. Many postings list more than the employer expects any one person to meet. A gap on the main duty of the role matters more than a gap on a listed extra.

Does it work for any profession?

It reads any job description text. It works best when both texts are specific about skills, tools and duties.

Does a score of 100 mean I match everything the job asks for?

No. The score covers the requirements the check could identify, and it can miss some. Compare its list of requirements with the posting.